Jeff Ellwood is an important voice in education and on the tenor saxophone. He is the director of jazz studies at Mt. San Antonio College as well as adjunct faculty at Cal State Fullerton. This week, we caught up with Jeff to talk about his development as a musician, his approach to education, and his amazing book, Developing Bebop Lines. Jeff has studied with some of the the most important teachers over the years and now has become one of the most important teachers in the jazz world.

Jeff has studied with the likes of Billy Pierce, George Garzone, James Moody, Rick Margitza, and Ralph Bowen. He has also performed with some of the top musicians such as, Tony Bennett, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Cunliffe, Eddie Daniels and Arturo Sandoval.

In this episode we discuss:

Teaching music majors as well as non-majors and inspiring a love of music.

Jeff’s time at Berklee and what some of the best teachers in the world did for him.

His book, Developing Bebop Lines and how he approaches teaching this important language.

How he approaches line writing and developing your own sound in the legacy of jazz.

Consistently acknowledged as America’s foremost classical saxophonist, Harvey Pittel has popularized the very concept of the saxophone in concert and has elevated his instrument to a new level of appreciation by lovers of fine music.

His discography includes twenty-eight recordings of duos, trios, quartets and concertos with orchestra, and he has been featured on soundtracks of several films including Woody Allen’s MANHATTAN. In addition, he has been a guest on the Today show and a featured artist on LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER and SPOLETO/U.S.A. telecasts.

His Harvey Pittel Trio and Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet have appeared in hundreds of concerts throughout North America and around the world.

His numerous recordings includeBACH AND NOODLESandMOVING ALONG(“Subtlety and technical perfection…exceptional mastery…Pittel’s artistry contradicts all the normal criticisms leveled against the instrument like a David slaying Goliath…Like a fine lieder singer, Pittel is a master”) with saxophone and piano (Crystal Records CD 654 and 655, respectively),THE HARVEY PITTEL SAXOPHONE QUARTET LIVE IN CHICAGO,TEX SAX,HARVEY PITTEL WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS WIND ENSEMBLE, Jerry Junkin conducting at Carnegie Hall and performing concertos by Karel Husa and David Maslanka (Mark Records 2106, 2208, 2697 and 3932, respectively), and his recent release ofLA LINGE, LA SONORITE: A TRIBUTE TO MARCEL MULE, also on Mark Records, featuringKol Nidreby Max Bruch,Theme From Shindler’s Listby John Williams, theConcertoby Ingolf Dahl, andConcertinoby Hye Kyeung Lee. The recent recordingsTEX SAX: NEXT GENERATIONandOVER THE RAINBOW AND BACH AGAINwere listed for Grammy nomination and are available on the Mark and Longhorn/Naxos labels. TheAmerican record Guidereferred to Harvey Pittel as “the standard-bearer of American saxophone playing” for hisSEXTUORCD on Crystal records.

These recordings and others are available at most major record stores, on iTunes, Amazon.com and on Mr. Pittel’s multimedia web site,www.harveypittel.com

In this episode, we discussed:

Harvey’s fascinating background, and why he has such high standards

What it was like studying with Joe Allard

How Harvey’s pedagogy evolved

The 1 thing all classical saxophone musicians must do to move the line forward

The main differences between playing for a live performance vs. a recording session

Ian Hendrickson-Smith is on top of the musical world. He has one of the most diverse and amazing careers out of any musician playing right now. You can catch him on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, playing with the Roots, at a jazz club in New York City, or recording albums for his label, Rondette Jazz on any given night of the week. Ian was also the longtime bari player for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. We caught up with Ian for a fascinating conversation about all things saxophone and music this week. Ian is a really genuine guy and had great answers to all of our questions. Get ready to be amazed by the one and only, Ian Hendrickson-Smith!

In this episode we discussed:

How Ian maintains such a busy schedule and still finds time to keep doing more.

His development as a musician including starting on another instrument.

Living on the road 250 days a year while playing with Sharon Jones.

Playing all the horns and how he approaches them.

Running Rondette Jazz and how studying the art of recording has affected his music.

Steve Goodson has been involved in some aspect of the music business on a professional basis since 1963, when he started taking money for playing.

Steve retired from active performance in 2003 for reasons of health. But prior to his retirement, he performed with Solomon Burke, Eddie Money, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Chubby Checker, Vince Vance, and many, many other internationally known performers.

He has also done hundreds of recording sessions and played thousands of live gigs everywhere from huge stadiums to tiny bars.

Steve started doing repairs on his own horns in 1964. As he got more skilled his following increased to include such luminaries as Maceo Parker and the late Michael Brecker, along with hundreds of loyal customers from all over the world.

His repair experience led to instrument design and his articles about saxophone design have been widely published by music magazines in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He currently writes for every issue of Saxophone Today (www.saxophonetoday.com) and freelance writing for other publications.

In this episode, we talked about:

How to make opportunities for your self as a music entrepreneur

Should you get a music degree? Find out what advice was given to Steve

Sam Dillon is one of the top call tenor saxophone players on the New York scene. In this episode we caught up with Sam and our chat is both informative and inspiring to anyone looking to know what it takes to make it today as a jazz musician. Sam’s approach to the music and being a musician is refreshing. He truly is in it for the long haul and genuinely loves what he does. Sam is also preparing for a big year of releasing recordings and continuing his packed and exciting schedule of gigs. Enjoy our interview with the great, Sam Dillon!

What checking out the legendary recordings did for Sam at the start of it all.

Important teachers in Sam’s life that led him down the right path.

How Sam makes sure his incredible saxophone technique stays up to par.

Steve Goodson has been involved in some aspect of the music business on a professional basis since 1963, when he started taking money for playing.

In Steve’s words…

“Quite a few members of my family on both sides played professionally, so it was a rather natural thing for me to pursue. I’ve been very fortunate to have had some excellent teachers over the years, and feel very strongly about passing that knowledge on. I keep a full studio of students so I can teach what I’ve been taught.”

Steve retired from active performance in 2003 for reasons of health. But prior to his retirement, he performed with Solomon Burke, Eddie Money, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Chubby Checker, Vince Vance, and many, many other internationally known performers.

He has also done hundreds of recording sessions and played thousands of live gigs everywhere from huge stadiums to tiny bars.

Steve started doing repairs on his own horns in 1964. As he got more skilled his following increased to include such luminaries as Maceo Parker and the late Michael Brecker, along with hundreds of loyal customers from all over the world.

His repair experience led to instrument design.

As Steve says…

“I knew I could improve on what was available. I am very proud that instruments of my original unique design have been marketed throughout the world for almost fifteen years, and that thousands of horns bearing my name are circulating through the musical community. I also make mouthpieces, necks, and have designed many original accessories for saxophones. Our products are all unique to us, and are not available anywhere else.”

Steve’s articles about saxophone design have been widely published by music magazines in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He currently writes for every issue of Saxophone Today (www.saxophonetoday.com) and freelance writing for other publications.

Paul Haar is the creator of the online magazine TheSaxophonist.org and is also an Associate Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Paul is a mover and shaker in the world of saxophone and has some great things to say about teaching, performing, and the industry at large. We caught up with Paul as he is preparing to embark into his second year of running and publishing TheSaxophonist.org. We talk a lot about what goes into publishing a fine magazine of this caliber.

We also got the chance to talk to Paul about running the saxophone studio at the University of Nebraska. He has some great tips for prospective students as well as tips to make the most out of your college experience.

We also bend Paul’s ear for some insight on where the industry is in general and some of the things to watch out for in the coming year in regards to the saxophone and the industry surrounding everyone’s favorite instrument!

In this episode we discuss:

Paul’s teaching style and what his entire studio seeks to accomplish.

Tips for high school saxophonists looking to be accepted into a studio like Paul’s.

Why he started his online magazine, the saxophonist.org.

How he assembled his team of reviewers and writers for the magazine and what they do for the publication.

What Paul is looking forward to in the coming year for his publication.

Jack Finucane is the owner of the Boston Sax Shop, a full service horn repair and retail shop in the heart of Boston. Jack is making waves in the saxophone world by creating his own extensive product lines, curating some of the best saxophone products and accessories for sale in his shop, and generally being one of the best repair techs in the world. Jack works tirelessly to bring awareness and clarity to taking care of your largest investment, your instrument. Jack is also a really nice guy and was very generous with his time and energy educating all of us about the intricacies of our equipment and how it can help us to be better players.

We covered a lot in this episode and here are some of the things we focused on:

How Jack got into the world of repair and ultimately decided to open up shop in Boston.

The nerve wracking process of starting to work on professional horns.

Some tips on preventative maintenance of your own horn.

The Selmer legacy and why Jack believes so much in these instruments.

Jacks own product line and getting into the world of creating products from scratch.

Encouraged by his parents, Alex Han began playing alto saxophone at the very young age of 8.

By age 11, he performed in front of legendary jazz man, Paquito D’ Rivera, and formed a lifelong friendship.

A year later, he was performing at major jazz festivals all over the world. At age 17, he won the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition for Saxophone, and won a 2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award.

He was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to Berklee School of Music, where he made his first connection with Marcus Miller, of which, he has been officially touring with since August 2009.

Alex already has a number of Grammy nominations, and his debut CD, Spirit, is available everywhere records are sold and streamed.

His 2nd album will be coming out in 2019 – follow him at the links below to know when his Kickstarter campaign will begin.

In this episode, we talked about:

His incredible background as a prodigy on saxophone

How his friendship with Paquito D’Rivera came about

His father’s connection with David Sanborn

How he eventually became an official part of Grammy Winner Marcus Miller’s band

A practical perspective of the Music business today

Why it’s harder to book tours now

His view of the type of music that will always be successful

and much more…

(Please note, Alex was in Berlin on tour, so there were some minor audio glitches, but not enough to take away from this amazing interview.)

“Music shouldn’t be forced. If it’s forced, it’s not meant to be out there…”